Calcium phosphate minerals are primary inorganic components of naturally occurring bone. Much of the calcium phosphate in bone is present as hydroxyapatite or modified forms thereof such as dahllite (a carbonate substituted form of hydroxyapatite). When naturally occurring bone becomes deteriorated or broken, it is often desirable to replace the defective bone with a bone substitute material. Because hydroxyapatite and substituted forms thereof closely resemble calcium phosphate mineral found in naturally occurring bone, both chemically and structurally, synthetic hydroxyapatites are attractive materials for use in bone repair and replacement.
Synthetic hydroxyapatites may be fabricated from calcium phosphate mineral cements which comprise dry and wet components, where the components are mixed to form a kneadable product which then sets into a solid mass. The dry ingredients found in such cements may comprise a phosphoric acid source and a calcium source. U.S. Patents which describe various cements suitable for use in preparing calcium phosphate minerals include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,880,610; 5,047,031; 5,129,905; 5,053,212; and 5,178,845, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.
The setting times and compressive strengths of calcium phosphate cements can be affected by the various calcium sources with which they are prepared. For example, when tricalcium phosphate is included as a calcium source in the cement precursor, cements with high compressive strengths are obtained. In addition, using tricalcium phosphates in cement preparation provides cements with more consistently reproducible characteristics. It has also been observed that cements prepared from tricalcium phosphate are more physiologically compatible in terms of pH.
Despite the advantages of using tricalcium phosphate as a calcium source in the preparation of calcium phosphate mineral cements, there are problems associated with using currently available sources of tricalcium phosphate. For example, cements prepared using tricalcium phosphates, which consist primarily of beta tricalcium phosphate, typically require long setting times which makes them impractical for use in many applications, including applications where the cement is intended to set in situ. Furthermore, many currently available sources of tricalcium phosphate are not phase pure, e.g. they also comprise sintered hydroxyapatite, which may result in a cement with poor strength and setting characteristics.
Thus, there is interest in the development of now tricalcium phosphate sources which are stable at room temperatures and, when used as a calcium source in the preparation of calcium phosphate cements, provide cements which set relatively quickly into calcium phosphate minerals with high compressive strength.